Registry Matters Archives - Registry Matters

RM395: Maryland Court Rejects the ‘I Forgot’ Defense

andy — Tue, 10 Nov 2026 04:59:00 +0000

This week on Registry Matters: Maryland’s high court rules that simply forgetting to register is no defense once a person has notice of the duty. We also look at the midterm results as a reflection of economic frustration, and at how divided government could force compromise on looming federal deficits. The episode includes a segment […]

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RM394: Why Was a New Father Arrested at the Hospital?

andy — Tue, 03 Nov 2026 04:59:00 +0000

This week on Registry Matters: The Eighth Circuit held indigent civil-commitment plaintiffs to a 2013 offer to split expert costs, reversing the denial of costs and leaving a suit that ended in a $366K bill. We also look at a West Virginia Supreme Court ruling that probation officers cannot add new supervised release restrictions without […]

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RM393: Unpacking the 48% Recidivism Myth

andy — Tue, 27 Oct 2026 04:59:00 +0000

This week on Registry Matters: We unpack the 48% recidivism myth as California considers lengthening parole for registrants, examining how the proposal collides with actual recidivism data, bipartisan politics, and the fading pressure of prison overcrowding. We also explore why court wins don’t end the registry, and why Michigan will likely pass a new registry […]

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RM392: Is the Registry Punishment? Court Says No

andy — Tue, 13 Oct 2026 04:59:00 +0000

This week on Registry Matters: we start with the question “Does Disclosure Protect Your Child?” Honest disclosure to neighbors earned one registrant acceptance, even though the registry’s stigma never seems to end. We then look at the Eighth Circuit’s ruling rejecting the Missouri registrants’ constitutional challenges to SORA, which turned on weak pleadings and evidence. […]

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RM391: Is Living With Your Child a Right?

andy — Tue, 06 Oct 2026 04:59:00 +0000

This week on Registry Matters: we look at why Michigan’s lifetime GPS tether survives a recent ruling. The tether is statutory punishment, while the registry is civil regulation, so the ruling doesn’t reach it. We also cover Tennessee’s botched execution of Christa Pike, which exposes secrecy, suffering, and the moral toll of premeditated killing. Finally, […]

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RM390: 20,000 Removed From Michigan’s Registry

andy — Tue, 29 Sep 2026 04:59:00 +0000

This week on Registry Matters: Michigan’s Supreme Court has removed about 20,000 people from the state’s sex offense registry. The ruling applies to people whose offenses came before 2011. We look at what the decision means for them and why lawmakers are likely to try to put them back on the registry. Show Notes [03:07] […]

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RM389: Kansas Court Kills Lifetime Supervision

andy — Tue, 22 Sep 2026 04:59:00 +0000

This week on Registry Matters: a South Carolina church implodes after a registrant volunteer scandal at Pawleys Island touches off arrests, lawsuits, and institutional panic — a case study in how quickly fear dismantles a congregation. We also break down Louisiana’s ballot measure to constitutionally ban post-conviction bail for minor-related offenses, stripping judges of individualized […]

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RM388: Michigan Just Erased Its Pre-2011 Registry

andy — Tue, 15 Sep 2026 04:59:00 +0000

This week on Registry Matters: Michigan’s Supreme Court ruled that retroactive sex offense registration is unconstitutional punishment, immediately erasing the pre-2011 registry and removing thousands of people from it. We break down what the decision means, who it covers, and how quickly relief actually reaches registrants on the ground. Then we turn to Minnesota, where […]

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RM387: Seventh Circuit Guts an AI CSAM Charge

andy — Tue, 08 Sep 2026 04:59:00 +0000

This week on Registry Matters: the Seventh Circuit gutted an AI-generated CSAM possession count after the government conceded that no real child was depicted — a ruling with major implications for how prosecutors charge synthetic imagery cases. We also walk through a practical framework for vetting a lawmaker before you approach them, judging legislators by […]

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RM386: Tier 2 Forever: A Registry Trap

andy — Tue, 01 Sep 2026 04:59:00 +0000

This week on Registry Matters: we dig into how mandatory sex offense treatment has drifted from therapy into a profitable surveillance and revenue operation — a class you pay for that keeps you monitored. Then a North Carolina church takes its own sheriff to court over whether a registered person can sit in a pew […]

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